Going to the gym can be very intimidating for some people and can just be overwhelming from the second you walk in. I’d be lying if I said that I was comfortable and confident the first time I went to the gym. It took me a while to finally be confident and be excited about going to the gym. I wanted to share some of my tips and tricks that have helped me to feel confident that could hopefully be helpful towards others. 

I remember walking into the gym for the first time and going to do my first exercise and just thinking “omg everyone is looking at me and judging me, what if I’m doing this completely wrong”. News Flash to me two years ago: Nobody is looking at you. I can promise you that people at the gym are not there to judge you and are not staring at you. Yes, they may look around and you may catch each other’s eyes by accident, but they are definitely not there to judge your every move. Everyone at the gym is there for themselves and to work on their own bodies. They are all focused on their own exercises and becoming a better version of themselves, so you should be too. Being worried about everyone else around you judging you will just give you an obstacle in your goal, so trust me just focus on yourself and block out everyone else around you. 

One big tip that helped me a lot is creating a workout routine and preparing what I will be doing beforehand. Going into the gym and seeing all the equipment in front of you can be very overwhelming, so to help with that, I recommend creating a plan. Going in, you should know what muscle group you plan on attacking that day. Once you’ve narrowed that down, you can start to create a complete workout plan for that day. Starting from beginning to end, make a list of which exercises you want to do, how many reps you want to try and do, and anything else you feel like would be good to write down to help you. Doing this will make you look like you know what you’re doing, whether it’s your first or 500th time at the gym, and make you feel extra confident about yourself.     

Another tip that I can give you is go at inactive times. Most gyms when you look them up give you the times of the day when the gym is very active and crowded and times when it’s not and low in activity. If you’re worried about others looking at you, then I highly recommend going when there aren’t many others in the gym along with you. This helps to make you feel like you’re not benign judged and makes it a lot easier to focus on what you’re doing. Not to mention, when there aren’t many people in the gym it gives you a wider variety of machines and exercises to do/use since they aren’t being occupied by others. 

Lastly, if you’re worried about not knowing how to operate a machine or not doing it correctly, I recommend going with a friend who is familiar with these machines and can show you how to do them. I am not someone who likes to workout with others and I enjoy doing my own thing, but I did find it very helpful to bring a friend my first few times just to have them get me familiar with the machines. Once you’re familiar with the machines, you can feel confident going off on your own and feeling confident in the gym. 

Hopefully these tips can help you feel more comfortable and confident in the gym, as I know they have helped me tremendously. I know the gym isn’t for everyone and others prefer to workout in the comfort of their own home, but helping those who want to be able to go to the gym but are intimidated is what I am striving to do here. It may take a while to build up that confidence, but trust me if you use these tips, it will help you a ton!